Wow, we landed. Aloha Maui!

I am writing from a Starbucks in central Maui, and this is the beginning of a new experience in the Hawaiian Islands. I've never been to Maui before, but it seems like everyone else has.

We took off from the San Jose Airport yesterday morning after a stay overnight at the Raddison near the airport. We like to stay overnight there on the night prior to a vacation trip as it begins the unwind from daily concerns and work a little earlier. We keep our car, sleep and get shuttled to and from the airport, all for the price of a room. By the time we set foot on the jet, we are already slowing down. Do you hear me sighing? I am.

The flight was smooth as glass. Fran and Fred Farkle sat in front of us, each with a heavy thud. They spread themselves out with wide smiles, perfumed the air with the aroma of last night's dinner, pushed their seats all the way back into our faces and fell asleep until breakfast burritos were served. We countered by reaching between their seats when they were away and putting their seats more forward. When they came back, they never knew and we were happy. The children were all happy, another big plus.

Everyone clapped when the pilot landed at the Kahului Airport, all of them delighted to begin their fun, island style. We grinned and felt it was a good sign.

Kahului is the center of Maui where business is taken care of. People bustle and move, get their chores done and go away to their smaller towns. It's not where the island's magic resides, we've found, but it's a starting point.

We've rented a car, stayed overnight at the Maui Beach Hotel (my rating: 2 stars for being a basic utilitarian hotel with a pool you can almost swim laps - 15 yards long). It's safe, clean, good enough, and the staff at the desk got us taken care of in a jiffy.

We drove south to the coast, turned the corner and saw whales in the distance, flukes sparkling in the sunlight. Catamarans moved on the glittering ocean, and their passengers jumped overboard to snorkel in the quiet lee of tall cliffs. We found a petroglyph site maintained by a local nonprofit group, a site that is one of the few available to see on Maui, we read. Small as it was, the spiritual connection to the ancient Hawaiians is unmistakable.

This morning we are heading east to the other end of the island, lining up with the one or two thousand cars that rumble along the famous Hana coast highway. We got a taste of it last night when we went to Pa'ia for the Friday Night Celebration. Four small towns in this region of the island all have a Friday night when they stay open late, play music along the streets, and welcome visitors and locals alike. Pa'ia was fun, noisy and jammed with cars. Buskers on the sidewalks played everything from Hare Krishna chants to Irish traditional to New Orleans jazz. The sidewalks were buzzing with conversation and cafes stuffed with revelers. After a walk up and down the streets, we found Mana Foods, bought delicious deli salads to go and went back to our hotel where we pretty much did face plants and slept until morning.

Tension is wiped away, the sun is rising over Haleakala in the east and we are bound for Hana.